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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23639800">steady on</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/saratogaroad/pseuds/saratogaroad'>saratogaroad</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Halo (Video Games) &amp; Related Fandoms</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Cortana Lives AU, Gen, Not Canon Compliant</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-04-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 20:29:10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>781</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23639800</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/saratogaroad/pseuds/saratogaroad</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>The act of facing one's maker is a daunting task to consider, even for a UNSC AI turned...whatever she is now. Luckily, Cortana has her partner to keep her from spiraling too far into her thoughts.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Cortana &amp; John-117 | Master Chief</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>14</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>steady on</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Spartan Ops timeline, insert your favorite Cortana Lives AU here. Details left vague on purpose; critique not wanted.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The <i>Aladdin</i> was due to dock with the <i>Infinity</i> in just under eight hours. In just under eight hours, Dr. Halsey would be aboard and Cortana would...what? Talk to her? Ask all the questions she still had? What would that get her but more half-truths and well meant lies?</p>
<p>Would there even be time to ask her anything? With the way things were shaking out, she doubted it. Her fingers tapped at the edges of the tablet, the raised grip rough beneath her fingertips; the display wavered, words flowing into one another, data layering itself on top of data on top of data-</p>
<p>"Are you even reading that?"</p>
<p>"Hmm?" Cortana lifted her head; John was standing in the doorway to the head, skin flushed from the heat of his shower. Steam curled behind him. "Maybe."</p>
<p>She wasn't. Not really. He tilted his head to the side, raising an eyebrow. She sighed quietly, looked away. He pushed off the door frame and walked towards her. Three strides to cross the small room; the sounds of his footsteps were different like this, louder but somehow muffled. Using only one set of inputs was strange, made for a different view of the world. Even his face looked different when she saw him like this; softer.</p>
<p>Or maybe that was just how he looked at her now, eyes downturned at the corners, one brow slightly higher than the other in wordless question. Cortana sighed.</p>
<p>"I just." It was stupid, not being able to find the words. With a groan of frustration she tipped onto her side, the rough-spun sheets scratching at her arm. Even that sensation was easier to parse than untangling the mess of thoughts in her head. "Halsey. Everything's changed in so short a time-how am I supposed to talk to her now?"</p>
<p>"Same way you always have."</p>
<p>Really? She held up a hand, no longer quite so small or incorporeal, and raised an eyebrow at him in return. He shrugged, the fabric of his shirt bunching and pulling with the motion.</p>
<p>"You're still you," He said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Maybe it was. Maybe she was just overthinking it. Not like it was easy to stop doing that. She turned onto her back, staring at the ceiling.</p>
<p>"Am I? This changes everything we thought possible about AI, about the Forerunners, about humanity. We're not what we used to be and I don't even know if we're <i>who</i> we used to be-"</p>
<p>The thin mattress creaked. Before Cortana could finish her sentence, a heavy weight settled across her side, causing her words to die off with a soft <i>oof</i> as John sprawled out half on her and half on his bunk. The feel of him-warm, solid, so very much there-and his scent-clean soap, clean clothes, and human warmth-filled her systems, shocking her into silence as he stretched out. She blinked at him, one ice blue eye looking back at her. The corner was crinkled in soft amusement, one side of his mouth twitching as he fought the urge to smirk at her. She huffed.</p>
<p>"Do I look like a pillow?"</p>
<p>"You stole my bunk."</p>
<p>"So you turn me into the bunk instead?" He stopped fighting the urge to smirk at her. "Very funny."</p>
<p>"I thought so." Slowly, more unsure of himself than of how she'd react, he reached across her hips to clasp her wrist in one hand. His thumb skimmed across her pulse, confirmation that she was still, well, alive. She sighed heavily. "Stop worrying."</p>
<p>"Look who's talking," She retorted. He snorted quietly and she rolled her eyes behind her lids. He was warm against her, heavy. Others would have felt stifled, but then others weren't learning how the world felt. His presence, the sensations that came with it, kept her from spiraling into the darkness of her thoughts. Was it the same way for him even now? She still wondered about that. Carefully, slowly, she wriggled her other arm free and reached up to rest her hand on the back of his head. When he didn't flinch away, she gently ran her fingers across his scalp. His still damp hair-slippery, a little cold-slid beneath her fingertips and he sighed heavily, relaxing inch by inch. Tension began to leak out of his shoulders. Cortana smiled.</p>
<p>"You are such a dog," She teased softly, tipping her head to press her lips to the crown of his head. <i>Her</i> great big dog.</p>
<p>Half asleep already, John hummed quietly in the back of his throat. Seeing no point in fighting it any longer, Cortana relaxed and began to drift off to the steady pulse of his heart.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>So between all the drafts I've gotten...300kish deep into a Post 4 rewrite and none of it's working so. SCRAP HEAP FOR YOU. But I may (probably will) come back to this idea/verse at some other point because these two are still prime OTP and no amount of dev bullshittery will ever take that away.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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